title: Respiratory symptoms as health status indicators in workers at ceramics manufacturing facilities.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the prevalence of respiratory symptoms and their association with sociodemographic variables and with the characteristics of the work environment.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study comprising 464 workers employed at ceramics manufacturing facilities located in the city of Várzea Grande, Brazil. Data were collected by means of a questionnaire comprising questions regarding sociodemographic variables, work environment characteristics, and respiratory symptoms. Data were analyzed by means of prevalence ratios and their respective 95% CIs between the dependent variable (respiratory symptoms) and the other explanatory variables. In the multivariate analysis, two hierarchical models were built, the response variables being "all respiratory symptoms" and "severe respiratory symptoms".
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the sample studied, the prevalence of "all respiratory symptoms" was 78%, whereas that of "severe respiratory symptoms" was 35%. The factors associated with "all respiratory symptoms" were gender, age bracket, level of education, type of occupation, exposure to dust, and exposure to chemical products. The factors associated with "severe respiratory symptoms" were level of education, exposure to dust, and exposure to chemical products.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results indicate the presence of upper and lower airway disease in the population studied.
authors.affiliation: Centro Universitário de Várzea Grande-UNIVAG, Várzea Grande University Center-Várzea Grande, Brazil.
authors.forename: Edilaura Nunes
authors.initials: EN
authors.lastname: Rondon
authors.forename: Regina Maria Veras Gonçalves da
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Clovis
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Botelho
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002516:Ceramics / Q000633:toxicity*; D004522:Educational Status; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D012120:Respiration Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors